by Events • October 6, 2023 • Wedding Planning Guides
If you’re in the midst of planning your picture-perfect wedding, you’ve probably started thinking about roles and responsibilities – Maid of Honour, Best Man, bridesmaids and groomsmen and maybe even ushers or usherettes.
But who exactly are ushers and usherettes? What do they do? And do you really need them for your big day?
In its simplest meaning, an usher or usherette is someone who ‘ushers’ – or shows – people to their seats.
The term ‘usher’ originally comes from a French word that means porter or doorman. It was first used to refer to servants at royal houses who ushered guests in and out of meetings, and then became synonymous with theatres, cinemas and places of religious worship.
In a wedding context, an usher or usherette usually refers to a member of the wedding party who guides guests to their seat before the ceremony starts.
That’s largely the main responsibility they hold, though for lots of smaller weddings, groomsmen and/or bridesmaids take the role of usher/usherette. Sometimes the names are interchangeable.
The main responsibilities of an usher or usherette include:
Basically, an usher or usherette does many of the same duties as the groomsmen. Bridesmaids will typically be separate from wedding arrivals with the bride, but groomsmen will often act as ushers.
Yes… and no! It all depends on how you decide to structure your wedding party, and how big you’d like it!
An usher/usherette has less responsibility than a groomsman or a bridesmaid. They have one main role of helping guests find the right seat. A groomsman may take on the role of an usher, depending on how many you have in your wedding party.
If for example, you have a best man and three or four groomsmen, as you divide up responsibilities you’ll probably have one or two groomsmen act as ushers. If you have lots of bridesmaids, you might also ask some of them to support your guests on arrival.
But if you only have one or two groomsmen and bridesmaids, you might ask close friends or wider family members to step in to act as ushers or usherettes.
They don’t need to wear the same suits or dresses as the groomsmen/bridal party, but they still play an important role.
While ushers aren’t absolutely essential, they can make a real difference to how smoothly your ceremony runs – especially if you’re planning to make use of our bigger ceremony areas at Heaton House Farm and have more than 200 guests!
Ushers or usherettes:
Your guests’ first impression of your wedding often comes from the welcome they get when they arrive. Friendly ushers set a warm, welcoming tone for the entire day, making your guests feel valued and looked after from the moment they step into your venue.
With ushers taking care of seating arrangements and answering questions, you and your bridal party can focus on getting ready without worrying about logistics. Your ushers help keep everything ticking along perfectly, and will be supported by your wedding coordinator at Heaton House Farm.
Nothing’s more awkward than asking Great Aunt Margaret to move because she’s sitting in a reserved seat meant for the mother of the bride! Ushers make sure your closest family members get those all-important front-row seats, avoiding any uncomfortable shuffling once everyone’s settled. They can help you reduce some of that wedding planning stress.
While groomsmen can certainly handle usher duties, having dedicated ushers means your groomsmen can focus on supporting the groom, getting ready, and being present for those important pre-ceremony moments and photos.
From latecomers needing to be seated quietly to guests unsure where the toilets are, ushers handle the little questions and issues that inevitably pop up, ensuring your ceremony starts on time and stress-free.
At a venue like Heaton House Farm, where you might have guests moving between different areas – from car park to ceremony area to reception barn – having ushers to guide the way can be incredibly helpful.
Selecting the right people for usher duties is important, as they’ll be representing you and setting the tone for your celebration. Remember, they’re the first people your guests will meet at your wedding!
The best ushers are those who can recognise your VIP guests – parents, grandparents, close family members – so they can direct them to the correct reserved seats. If your ushers know who’s who, seating arrangements will flow much more smoothly.
Consider choosing one usher from each side of the family (bride’s side and groom’s side), so between them, they’ll recognise most of the important faces.
Your ushers need to be comfortable talking to people – even strangers. Look for friends or family members who are naturally welcoming, organised, and happy to engage in a little small talk before the vows.
Ushers need to arrive early and be ready to greet guests as they start arriving for your ceremony. Choose people you know you can count on to be there on time, looking smart and ready to help.
Asking someone to be an usher is a lovely way to include close friends or family members in your wedding without extending your bridesmaids or groomsmen. It’s perfect for:
The number of ushers depends on your guest count:
At Heaton House Farm, we’ve hosted weddings of all shapes and sizes, and your wedding coordinator can advise on the ideal number of ushers for your guest list.
They’ll typically wear the same formal attire appropriate for a barn wedding. If they’re not matching the groomsmen or bridesmaids, then just think simple smart suits or dresses that complement your wedding style.
You could give them something distinctive to wear, like matching ties, waistcoats or corsages, to elevate them from other guests and help them feel like part of the wedding party.
Remember, it’s your wedding. Ultimately you could ask them to dress any way you like, especially if it matches your wedding theme.
Not really, no. Ushers aren’t a requirement, and plenty of couples have beautiful, smoothly-run weddings without them.
If you’re having a smaller, intimate wedding, your groomsmen can easily handle guest seating alongside their other duties. They’ll be there to help guests find their seats and keep those important front-row spots saved for immediate family members.
Your groomsmen will recognise your nearest and dearest and know who should be seated closer to the front.
Or, you could just skip the usher role altogether and have reserved seating for the first couple of rows. If you want to be super organised and specific, print out seat cards for each member of your wedding party and close family member – Mother of the Bride, Father of the Groom etc. – so everyone you want at the front has a clearly assigned seat.
Remember, you don’t need to assign or reserve every seat, and if you’re not sure, just ask your wedding coordinator for advice. They can help with any of the tasks you want to give your ushers and usherettes.
Whether you decide to have ushers or not, our experienced team at Heaton House Farm will help ensure your ceremony runs beautifully, and we’ve got plenty of wedding planning guides to help you out.
If you do choose to have ushers, we’ll brief them on the layout of our venue, making sure they know where to direct guests and how to make the most of our stunning ceremony spaces.
Request a brochure today and let’s start planning every perfect detail of your barn wedding together.
